Gary Cohen, playing his last game for the Saints, is bundled over.
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Twerton Park was awash with celebrations on Saturday afternoon as St Albans City’s goalless draw with Bath City was sufficient for Adie Britton’s Romans to cement their place in the Blue Square South play-offs while Steve Castle’s Saints edged past their points total of twelve months earlier.
The match itself seldom got out of second gear and of the chances created St Albans could claim to have had the clearest openings to pull off an unlikely victory.
Following a midweek win at Lewes the Romans were in touching distance of securing a play-off place but had to do so without the suspended duo of Lewis Hogg and Adie Harris, while defender Chris Holland was absent after sustain a hamstring injury in midweek.
City made two changes from the side that lost to Woking the previous weekend. Mark Peters returned to the centre of the defence – where he was sandwiched between Ryan Frater and Adam Everitt – while 18-year-old Luke Jackaman made his Conference South debut in the middle of the park. Ian Dunn was relegated to the bench and Jake Argent was not available having played for a Leyton Orient XI in the morning. Regular substitute Danny Johnson was missing due to tonsillitis.
Although a point would satisfy Bath’s requirements it was anticipated they would go for the kill early on in front of the second largest attendance seen at Twerton Park for a league game this season.
Instead the opening 45 minutes contained few moments of genuine excitement with the ball spending far too long in the air.
Other than for a wild effort from leading marksman Darren Edwards that went way off target, Bath offered little in attack early on.
The Saints were equally reticent going forward with their first effort not coming until the 16th minute when Chris Sullivan had a shot charged down before laying the ball off to Rob Magwood who scuffed his shot harmlessly wide. It was one of the few occasions when the teenager erred during another outstanding personal performance.
Three minutes later Sido Jombati and Mark Badman combined to work the ball up to Kaid Mohamed who struck the ball cleanly from 30 yards but straight City keeper Paul Bastock. A good spell of pressure by the home side was maintained with Adam Connolly heading a cross into the goalmouth where Bastock, who made one appearance for Bath many moons ago, pushed the ball away for a corner. St Albans were forced into a change on 24 minutes when a mild asthma attack forced Chris Sullivan to retire with Dunn thrown into the fray.
The Romans promotion bid almost received a severe jolt on 25 minutes when Peter Smith chipped the ball to the back post where James Fisher headed goalwards. Bath keeper Ryan Robinson, quite badly hindered by injury, hooked the ball off the goalline with his outstretched left leg. A misunderstanding at the heart of the City defence led to Edwards seizing possession some 30 yards from goal but his attempted lob over the retreating Bastock was comfortably gathered by the keeper.
The emergence of Ross Dedman has been a revelation during the Saints troubled financial times and the 17-year-old is playing with an assurance way beyond his tender years. Twice at Twerton Park he moved forward into good goalscoring positions but was, unfortunately, unable to open his account.
The teenager headed gently into Robinson’s arms following a cross by Cohen and right on half time, following good work by Dunn in shaking off two defenders down the City right, the ball took an unkind bounce inside the six yard box and flew high and wide off the startled Dedman’s shin.
Bath started the second period in far greater attacking mood but again found clear chances hard to come by and had two early chances snuffed out by excellent defensive headers from Everitt. The Romans continued to push forward with greater conviction and a powerful drive by Sekani Simpson forced Bastock to dive full length to his left to palm the ball away. Bastock was finally beaten just after the hour by a Gethin Jones header but Saints Player of the Year Smith was on hand to clear from the goalline.
A Bath attack looked to have broken down when Edwards was caught offside but the play was allowed to continue as Badman burst through from a deeper position only to be thwarted by a brave Bastock dive at the midfielders feet. Two days short of two years since making his only other appearance in a Conference South match Tegana James came off the bench to replace Jackaman and justified his inclusion with a potentially crucial tackle on Mohamed as the Bath striker threatened to break clear.
Gary Cohen, making what in all probability will be his final appearance for the club before embarking on a career as a paramedic, went on a thrilling run from just inside his own half that won a free kick deep inside Bath territory. Frater hammered the dead ball into the solid defensive Bath wall.
Nine minutes from time Bath were almost presented with a bizarre goal. Peters, who along with Frater and Everitt had been virtually impregnable throughout, headed an intended back pass to Bastock well wide of the goal. Fisher gave chance but slipped and gifted possession to Jombati who squared a pass to the free Edwards who, instead of celebrating his 20th league goal of the season, completely miscued and the Saints survived.
Three minutes from time St Albans had another anxious moment when Bastock used his legs well to save Mohamed’s low drive and in added time Bastock made certain of the Saints 14th league clean sheet of the season when catching Connolly’s well struck, but straight, free kick.
Although far from a thriller the game will have done several City players a power of good. Magwood and Dedman reaffirmed their growing influence on the team while the more experienced back three of Peters, Frater and Everitt coped admirably in blunting an attack looking for a sixth successive victory.
Cohen may have struggled for goals this season but his all round play will be a big loss to the team. Rumours of interest in Smith from clubs with greater financial clout than St Albans is hardly a surprise and the consistency of Everitt and Frater this season is also unlikely to have gone unnoticed outside of Clarence Park.
The result will provide another boost to manager Steve Castle’s growing reputation. The difficulties he has faced throughout the closing weeks of the season were again evident at Twerton Park as he named just four substitutes and of those only three actually made it to the ground. |
